The Best Cosplay at Comic-Con, From Spock to Furiosa

Seth Hendrix as Lieutenant Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. In preparation for his cosplay, Hendrix memorized and the poem "Ode to Spot," which Data wrote and recited for his pet cat in the actual show. (Cat included in cosplay.)

Marisa Myer as Erza Scarlett from the anime Fairy Tale. Comic Con has been Myer's annual tradition for the last five years.

Paul Boone as "Evel Fett," a cross between everyone's favorite bounty hunter and the real-life daredevil Evel Knievel. Boone saw the mash-up on a t-shirt and decided to turn the concept into a costume.

Joanne Lu as The Hulk. Lu won a free badge to this year's Comic Con at last year's costume contest.

Rannie Rodil, 11-year SDCC vet, as "The Knight's Queen" from Game of Thrones. Cig Neutron, the artist behind her prosthetic makeup, was featured on the seventh season of the Syfy reality television series Face Off.

More Fury Road cosplay, this from married couple Vylet and Jon Randolph as Imperator Furiosa and Max Rockatansky.

Spock Vegas as "Mr. Spock" from Star Trek: TOS. This is his first year visiting Comic-Con; at 6'8", he towered over the crowd, posing for photos in exchange for a $2 donation to raise money for epilepsy research.

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As an avid gamer and lover of all things sci-fi, I've always considered myself a pretty serious nerd. I could tell you that Wookies are from Kashyyyk and quote Jean Luc Picard, but going to photograph Comic-Con made me seriously rethink my place on the pyramid of geekdom. Suddenly, all those hours I spent on Minecraft seemed unimpressive. I was, in a word, normal.

The convention floor was intimidating, but all apprehension was driven away by the maelstrom of costumes on display. Cosplay is a quintessential part of what makes Comic-Con so lively and surreal (along with the occasional smell of Band-Aids and abandoned pizza crusts), and these fans don't just dress the part—they fully commit to the role. From first glance it's obvious that these people have spent months preparing for the occasion, obsessively planning every detail of their outfits with thoughtful veneration. Not unlike the mascots at Disneyland, the best costumes can barely walk three feet without a request for photos, and they're more than happy to oblige.

Here, then, are my favorite shots from four days of wandering Comic-Con. See you next year, San Diego—I'll be the guy dressed as a mild-mannered photographer.